Chaoran, L I, Yan, Yang, Chuwen, Feng et al. · Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2023 · DOI
This study tested whether moxibustion (a traditional Chinese medicine technique using heat) could help treat chronic fatigue syndrome in rats. Researchers found that moxibustion improved fatigue-like symptoms and restored balance to the gut bacteria and chemical levels that were abnormal in fatigued rats. The results suggest that moxibustion may work by fixing problems in the gut microbiome (bacteria) and the metabolites (chemical byproducts) they produce.
Understanding how gut dysbiosis and metabolic dysfunction contribute to CFS is crucial for developing treatments. This study identifies potential mechanistic links between the microbiome, metabolite production, and fatigue symptoms, offering a rationale for further investigation of microbiome-targeted interventions. These findings bridge traditional medicine approaches with modern molecular science to explore pathways relevant to ME/CFS pathophysiology.
This rat model study does not prove that moxibustion is an effective treatment for human ME/CFS—animal models of stress-induced fatigue do not fully recapitulate the human condition. The study is correlative and does not establish causation; normalized microbiota may be a marker of recovery rather than the driver of symptom improvement. Results cannot be directly translated to humans without validation in clinical trials.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Chaoran, L I, Yan, Yang, Chuwen, Feng, Heng, L I, Yuanyuan, Q U, Yulin, Wang, et al. (2023). Integrated 'omics analysis for the gut microbiota response to moxibustion in a rat model of chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan. https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20231018.004
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chaoran-2023-integrated-omics,
author = {Chaoran, L I and Yan, Yang and Chuwen, Feng and Heng, L I and Yuanyuan, Q U and Yulin, Wang and Delong, Wang and Qingyong, Wang and Jing, Guo and Tianyu, Shi and Xiaowei, Sun and Xue, Wang and Yunlong, Hou and Zhongren, Sun and Tiansong, Yang},
title = {Integrated 'omics analysis for the gut microbiota response to moxibustion in a rat model of chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20231018.004},
note = {PubMed: 37946480},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chaoran-2023-integrated-omics},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chaoran-2023-integrated-omics
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